Visiting Ghosts
by Moixx
Summary: The team think she's crazy, but Sara knows there is more to her past than she can remember. But can she figure out the dark secrets she has hidden from herself?
1. Chapter 1

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It was supposed to be a routine 419. These overdose cases were as common as colds but for one CSI, it was personal.

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Greg Sanders got a solo case that night. He didn't care that the case was uneventful and already pretty much solved; he loved how Grissom now treated him with such assurance that enabled him to work single-handedly.

The rundown neighbourhood was alive with the sounds of police cars in the distance and dogs barking despite the pitch black sky. The apparent smell of rotten garbage assaulted the young CSI's nostrils as soon as he stepped out of his car. He collected his kit from the trunk and walked inside the shabby looking bungalow accompanied by the young officer assisting him.

The rookie cop, Stevens, quickly rattled off a number of facts from his notebook about the resident they were standing above in his kitchen. '48 year old male, lives alone, found by neighbours complaining about the music. They found him like this.' Stevens glanced up towards Greg to ensure he was listening, 'Neighbours turned off the music and went home to call us.'

The man lay sprawled on his floor, the ominous looking needle clutched in his right hand had dried blood on the tip. It was clear the man had died from an overdose. Greg had already finished taking pictures when David, the coroners assistant arrived to take the body.

All that was left to do was find out the man's identity. The landlord had been entirely unhelpful by not knowing the full name of the deceased, only remembering his name was Calum-something-or-other and the mysteriously missing wallet was believed stolen. Greg was left to sift through drawers and boxes for any old letters or ID's that could tell them who the dead man was and hopefully allows officers to track down his family.

It was an old grainy family picture which gave Greg the first notion of who the man was. They looked like an ordinary family. The two parents sat together on chairs and the teenage boy, who Greg believed was the dead occupant of the house, stood proud beside his father. But it was the little girl who Greg paid the most attention to. Her shoulder length brown hair had soft waves that framed her face, her mouth grinning wildly clearly emphasised the small gap between her front teeth. He flipped over the picture and on the back written in messy numbers, '1977'. He did the math in his head; the little girl looked about five years old in the photograph and Sara was born in 1972.

Greg allowed himself to keep searching, and as he opened up the last drawer to look in, he found an old credit card. Calum Sidle.

Still clutching the card in his rubber gloved hands he flipped out his cell phone and dialled a familiar number.

'Grissom?'

'Yes Greg. Is everything okay at your scene?'

'Yes… well. No. Not really.'

'Spit it out Greg. I have work to do too.'

'I think the victim is Sara's brother.'

Gil Grissom took a sharp breath inwards. 'Okay Greg. I'll be right there.'

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So I know that was a short first chapter but I would really like to know what everyone thinks before I continue. So please please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

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After hanging up on Greg, Grissom took a deep breath. He knew a little of Sara's family history and he knew she had a brother. She had mentioned him once, and only once. Even though they had now been in a relationship they spoke very little of their families. Grissom could only assume that she was not close with her now deceased brother.

He had already assigned Sara to a case that night. He reached the decision that he shouldn't wait for her to finish the case. He dialled the familiar digits to her cell phone and awaited an answer.

The cheerful voice of Sara Sidle snapped Grissom out of his thoughts, 'Hey Grissom. What can I do for you?'

There was silence for a second as the man thought carefully about what to say. 'Sara. I'm afraid I have some bad news but it would be best if you heard it in person.'

He could tell from memory that Sara at this moment would tighten her brows together creating a series of worry lines across her forehead.

'You're worrying me now Grissom. Is this about Ecklie again? Just tell me now.'

Knowing Sara wouldn't let him hang up without telling her he decided to just tell her and get it over with. 'Your brother's name is Calum Sidle?'

Confusion was evident in Sara's voice. Never in a million years would she have suspected this had to do with her brother. 'Umm… yeah. What's this about? Has something happened?'

'We have found a body in your brother's house. We have reason to believe it's him.'

'He's… he's dead?' She paused as though to be taking in the information. 'I haven't seen him in years. I never even knew he was in Vegas.'

'I'm very sorry Sara. We will need you to come in and ID the body when the autopsy is done. I'm just going out to meet Greg at the scene. But if you like you can take the rest of the night off. It isn't a problem.'

'If it isn't too much to ask, I'll prefer to keep working. I'll see you after shift.'

The call ended and Grissom was once again plunged into silence. Two fingers made their way to the space between his eyes, feeling the early onset of a stress migraine he frequently got. This was going to be a rough shift.

He found his way to the scene a little less than 30 minutes after Greg's call. From the neighbourhood Grissom already knew so much about the man. The area was a well known drug district, popular amongst dealers and users. He had investigated a few deaths on the very same block in his career, a couple of them murders but most were overdoses.

Greg was waiting outside for Grissom. Several brown evidence bags were already packed safely into the waiting vehicle but it was the one in Greg's hand that interested Grissom particularly.

'Have you called Sara?' Greg's clear voice interrupted Grissom's thinking.

'Yes. She wants to keep working tonight.'

A small, sympathetic smile spread onto the younger man's face. 'Sounds like Sara alright.' The smile quickly disappeared and was replaced by a much more serious expression. 'You might want to take a look at these.' The bag in Greg's hand was held out towards the older man. 'There are old pictures and newspaper clippings. They haven't anything to do with the case, so you can take them away.'

Grissom nodded. Already his curiosity was growing to do with the bag now resting in his arms. 'Day shift is taking over the case. Conflict of interest.'

'Fair enough.' He glanced towards his awaiting car. 'I'll see you back at the lab.'

Grissom watched him leave before getting back into his own car and driving not back to the lab, but to the home he now shared with Sara. The bag resting on the passenger seat was getting too much to resist.

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Thanks so much for reading and I am so sorry for the delay. Hopefully this story shall be taking shape now, and you won't need to wait too long. 


	3. Chapter 3

The numbers from this story have been a little disappointing. But I am overjoyed about the many positive reviews I have been recieving. So please let them continue. If there is an aspect of the story you don't like or you would love to see something happen please please comment in a review. I would love your input. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy.

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After hanging up the phone, I could not concentrate on my job, no matter how hard I tried. Flashbacks kept interrupting thoughts of work and my mind filled with picnics and sandcastles and swimming in the salty sea.

_It was a small town we lived in. Everyone kept themselves to themselves and Cal was my best friend as well as my big brother. It was in summer it happened. At first it was a pretty regular summer. Most hot sticky days were spent cooling off in the sea or playing around in the sand just like every other summer before that. Mother would slave away working in the B&B whilst Cal and I enjoyed our youth. Father was generally not around, and when he was we knew from experience to keep him happy or else there would be hell to pay._

_We had just dried from swimming in the sea with multi-coloured fluffy towels when he told me._

'_Sara,' I turned and saw him staring at me, a look of guilt on his face._

'_What is it Cal?' By this point fear had etched its way into me. I knew this was going to be big._

'_I need to tell you something.' He paused for a second, working up the courage to tell me. 'I got a letter this morning. I've been accepted to Harvard Law School. In Boston, Sara! I'm going to Boston. Full scholarship and everything.'_

_At first I was overjoyed for my elder brother. 'That's great Cal!' It was only then I realised what this meant. 'But me… You're leaving me.'_

_Cal looked away, not being able to look at me in the eyes. 'I'm sorry Sar. But this is my big opportunity. You'll be able to handle Dad. Just remember everything I taught you. Okay?'_

_I nodded despite the fat tears finding their way down my face. 'When do you go?'_

'_A month. But don't worry Sar. I'll be back at Thanksgiving. And then again at Christmas.' Guilt ate away at the Sidle boy knowing his little sister was going to be so lonely without him there. 'You'll make new friends.'_

_But I didn't make new friends. _

_That summer passed so quickly. Cal didn't return for the holidays like he promised. His letters were the only contact I had with him. Father didn't pay much attention to the fact his only son was gone; he was passed out drunk most days but Mother was a mess. She cried all the time and awaited his next phone call or letter with great anticipation. _

_He did well as school and he loved law. I beamed with pride knowing my big brother would be a successful lawyer one day._

_The year passed in a blur of fights and yelling. Money was running short and so was Father's temper. The summer was the worst one yet. Without Cal around, no one was there to protect me from Fathers fists. With school as no excuse, I was inside more and more, and dark purple bruises frequently covered my face and body. But however bad I got, mother got 10 times worse. She tried to protect me, but after a while she just gave up. She was no longer the woman she once was._

_Three summers passed since Cal had left home. Eventually the letters and phone calls dwindled away since he was too caught up in his own new and exciting life. I was thirteen when it happened. _

_I can't say I remember much about that night. I was unfamiliar with the circumstances surrounding my father's death. But I was there when my mother stabbed him. Twenty-four times in the chest. I read that in a newspaper. The frenzied attack lasted hours, or so I thought. The newspaper said it was over in a matter of minutes. _

_My brother attended the funeral, accompanied by a girl I did not know. She was around Cal's age, 21, and she wore glasses. I guessed he met her at school and maybe they were boyfriend and girlfriend. _

_He hugged me when he saw me. He said sorry for leaving me. And we both cried. That's all I can remember from the funeral. _

_Actually that's all I remember for a while after. It seems peculiar that there is a huge chunk of my life missing. I can't remember where I stayed after the death and I have no idea who cleared out our house. I don't remember seeing my mother again, except pictures in newspapers. Newspapers helped me create memories that I lost. I followed my mothers case through clippings people gave me. The trial took place a year after the murder when I was in a foster home. I never attended._

"_Laura Sidle murdered her husband in cold blood last September in the small town Tomalas Bay. Their only daughter looked on in horror as the woman stabbed him 24 times. Mrs Sidle faces up to life in prison for her heinous crime. Sidle has currently been staying in a Mental Facility since the murder of her husband 8 months ago. She has recently been cleared of being mentally fit. The trial is expected to last 6 weeks."_

_She pleaded guilty. So the trial only lasted 2 days._

_She got 20 years in prison. _

Growing up without a family was hard. Cal had his own life to care about, so I didn't blame him when he returned to Boston and I stayed with a foster family. We lost touch over the years. Now he's dead, I feel I missed out on an opportunity. He was my only family, and he lived in Vegas too. I didn't even know.

Giving up hope of focusing on my 419, I brought out my cell phone.

'Hey Grissom. I'm sorry. I don't think I can work today after all.'

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So there's chapter 3. Let me know what you thought.


	4. Update!

Sorry I have been ignoring this story lately. Planning to write some more in the next few days, so keep looking out for some more.

Thanks.


	5. Chapter 4

So here it is at long last. I am really sorry about not updating in MONTHS!! But I hope some of you have stayed loyal despite the delays.

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I returned to my apartment after the call to Grissom, to think some things over. It had been months since I had thought about Cal. I hadn't been in contact with him in years, being moved around all the time as a kid made it difficult for him to get in touch with me. I figured he would have been a high class lawyer or something, not living in the bad part of Las Vegas. "Suspected overdose" Grissom had said. Cal had so much potential as a teenager. All his teachers loved him, and he did well studying law at Harvard. He had a scholarship for Christ's sake! He shouldn't be dead just yet. He should be earning loads with a family and a huge house with the white picket fence I knew he always wanted. But now he was gone for good.

I knew exactly where the box was. I hadn't moved it since hiding it under my bed years before when first arriving in Vegas. I didn't need to bring it out to look at it; I knew exactly the contents of the box. It was my childhood. All the old photographs and awards I received. I knew every tear, every slight mark on every piece of paper, I had spent my whole teenage years clutching onto them for hope of better things to come. All I had to do was close my eyes and dive into the internal filing cabinet of Sara Sidle and I could see anything I wished.

But now I needed the box, to see if there was anything I had missed. The box was yellowing in colour and ripped in parts. The lid was held on by an elastic band since it always came loose. So I snapped it off and peeked inside. There were all the ones I knew there, the old black and white pictures of me ready to head off to school, the ones of birthdays and Christmases and the one of Cal graduating. I needed to see that one the most, just to remember what he looked like and what he wore. It was a sunny day, I remember because I wore my new flip flops to the ceremony and mom wore her beautiful summer dress that took her months to save for. Every other ten year old would hate to be dragged to such a mundane service, but I was so proud of my older brother I listened intently and applauded at all the appropriate parts.

I was crying when the phone rang, something I rarely ever do. I let it ring and the machine was soon interrupted by the voice of Grissom telling me to please phone him back because they had identified the dead man as my brother, but I had already assumed that. So I phoned him back and told Grissom I wanted to see him because I wanted to see the man he had become.

Of course Grissom attempted to put me off that idea, but I had made up my mind, I couldn't go the rest of my life not knowing what he looked like. I told Grissom I had to go to his house and see how he lived, see if he had a family or children, or if he was still the same person I remembered as a child. I was told Greg could take me.

Dr Robbins greeted me as I walked into the morgue with an apology for my brother. I thanked him and asked if I could see him. When the sheet was pulled back, my first thought was how unlike my brother he looked, if anything, he was the double of my father. All the old feelings of fear and hate came rushing back and I wondered if that was how my brother felt looking into the mirror everyday. Was that why he turned to drugs? Is that why he is dead?

Cal had not aged well, his thick brown hair was gone and a pale, bare scalp filled it's place. He had obvious dark circles under his eyes, and his face was scarred with wrinkles. He was unshaven, and had nicotine stained fingers. There was nothing different about the looks of this man and the man my father was. I left without speaking a word to anyone.

I found Greg in the break room telling Catherine and Nick about my now deceased brother.

"I didn't even know she had a brother!" Catherine spoke up.

"Yeah me either!" Nick responded.

"But guys, seriously. I found some things in that house that are going to haunt me forever. He had a bag of old newspaper clippings and photographs under the bed I gave to Grissom. Did any of you know that Sara's mom killed her dad? And apparently, Sara saw it all; she was like twelve or something."

"I was thirteen," I interrupted, startling them all seeing as they hadn't known I was standing outside the door. "Can we go now Greg?" The boy stood up, and we left.

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So let me know what you thing. Hopefully it shouldn't take me too long to update again.


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